Kuih Kosui (Rice Cakes with Grated Coconut)

January 13, 2021 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! The Bruneian traditional kuih (or kueh) is similar to many traditional cakes from around the region, such as in Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Nobody knows where the true origins of each traditional kuih came from in Brunei, but we know it all started from the water village – Kampong Ayer many decades ago. Back in the day, due to limited supply of resources, Bruneian cake makers would make use of natural elements and materials to prepare the cakes, such as wrapping with leaves, and making use of all parts of a coconut or palm tree.

Today, Bruneian kuih-kuih (plural for kuih) are still as popular as ever due to the nostalgia and historical heritage that it carries with every bite. Upon researching traditional kuih-kuih native to Brunei, I came across a website entitled ‘Brunei’s Traditional Sweet Treats You Must Try’. Kuih Kosui was amongst the list, but as it turns out, it is actually native to Malaysia, as most kuih-kuih are.

Kuih Kosui is a saucer-shaped rice cake that is flavoured with either pandan (screwpine leaves) juice or gula melaka (palm sugar). It is also known as Kue Lumpang in native Indonesian language, and is actually very similar to what we have closer to home here in the Philippines, known as kutsinta.

Kuih Kosui is very economical to make. The kuih is characterised by its ‘dimple’ in the middle of the cake, lightly sweet taste, soft, yet wobbly and slightly bouncy in texture. They are then topped with a slightly salted, grated coconut topping to give that extra layer of flavour with the classic sweet-salty combination.

Unlike with a traditional kutsinta recipe, the soft, wobbly, and bouncy texture of Kuih Kosui can be achieved without having to add any alkaline water. You just need the right combination of flours and you can still achieve its distinct chewy texture and dimples.

Before we dive into tonight’s recipe, please take the time to check out the original where I drew my inspiration from over on What To Cook Today by Marvellina.

PREP TIME 15 MINS | COOKING TIME 15-20 MINS | MAKES 14 CAKES

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup + 1 tbsp + 1 & 3/4 tsp rice flour
2 tsp wheat starch
2 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt

For pandan flavour

2/3 & 1/4 cup boiling water (cooled for 15 minutes)*
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup pandan-infused water**

For coconut sugar flavour

1 & 1/4 cup boiling water (cooled for 15 minutes)*
1/4 cup coconut sugar
1 tsp white granulated sugar

For the topping

Freshly grated coconut
Pinch of salt

Notes:

*Bring water to a boil and let it cool down for 15 minutes so it should feel lukewarm after that. The warm water will stabilize the starch/flour and they won’t separate when you steam. Make sure not to use boiling hot water as this will cook the starch/flour into a dough.
**Place the pandan leaves and water into a blender. Blend until the leaves are chopped very finely. Pour contents through a fine sieve and press against it using a spoon to draw out any extra juice. Discard the leaves.
Flour and starch measurements are for one recipe per flavour. If you want to make both flavours at the same time, make sure to measure out another set of flour and starch ingredients.

METHOD

Topping: Add the pinch of salt together with the grated coconut and give it a good mix. Steam over high heat for 10 minutes and set aside once done.
Kuih Kosui: Bring the water in the steamer to a boil and place the empty cups in the steamer. Allow them to heat up for about 5 minutes while you are preparing the batter This step is important to prevent the starch/flour from separating when steaming your rice cakes.
Add the three different types of flour and starches, together with the salt, into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Depending on your chosen flavour, add the sugars, (then the pandan-infused water if making pandan flavour Kuih Kosui), and then the lukewarm water. Stir into a smooth batter until the sugars have dissolved.
Pour the batter into the preheated cups, about 3/4 of the wall full and steam over high heat for 12-15 minutes (18 minutes if your cups are larger).

If your steamer cannot fit all the cups/batter in at the same time, work in batches. Do not pour the mixture into the remaining cups ahead of time and let them sit. The flour and starch mixture tends to settle at the bottom after a while. This is important otherwise your Kuih Kosui won’t turn out right.

After steaming, remove the cups from the steamer and let them cool down for about 5 minutes. They can be easily removed by running a small rubber spatula around the edges to lift them up.
Repeat with the next batch of batter. Make sure the steaming water is back to a rolling boil before steaming. Stir the batter first before pouring into the preheated cups.
Once done, sprinkle with the prepared grated coconut topping. Serve and enjoy as an afternoon snack! Should make around 14 kuih-kuih.

If you ever happen to find yourself travelling through Brunei on your next travel adventure, drop by any day or night markets and you’re bound to come across this kuih and many others. If you’re lucky enough, you can even catch the vendor making them fresh on the spot for you.

The best time to find all the local snacks and kuih-kuih in one place is during the holy month of Ramadhan at various food markets. You can find a plethora of local and traditional goodies for you to try. Alternatively, you can also get these at the Gadong Night Market or Tamu Kianggeh throughout the year and more often the vendors would be more than happy to describe each one to you!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Mango Mochi (マンゴー餅)

February 27, 2019 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! Yes, I did mention earlier in the beginning of this month that I’d be tackling my mango recipes with a Thai influence – and tonight’s recipe that is far from that.

Let me explain.

When I was planning ahead for the month, I couldn’t think of any other Thai desserts that had mangoes in them other than the infamous Thai Mango Sticky Rice. Amongst my quest to find another dessert was Mango Mochi. Hardly Thai, in fact Japanese, but this was one of the desserts that popped up under the search term “Thai Mango Desserts” and from a site titled 14 Must-try Mango Desserts and the Best Places to Find Them in Bangkok. You must be thinking FOURTEEN desserts and you had to pick the non-Thai one?

Let me explain further.

I wanted to tackle a recipe that was firstly, less complicated in terms of the number of elements that it needed to be plated. So if it had more than, well, basically one element, I set aside. Secondly, I wanted to tackle a recipe with ingredients that I already had sitting in my pantry just so that I wouldn’t have to go and buy more things just for that one recipe. This is a problem that I constantly face and am trying to eliminate. Many times too often, in the past that is, I plan for recipes that require a heck load of ingredients that I don’t usually work with, or rather don’t work with that often. So if there are any leftovers, they end up sitting in the pantry or fridge until their shelf life date and eventually end up in the waste, i.e. flour and a variety of certain spices have been my worst enemies. I used to have a shelf of expired spices that have only been touched once or twice and that made my heart ache. What I try to do now is for example, if I need to buy nutmeg for one recipe, I make sure that future recipes will need nutmeg in them just so that I can use it up before or does not end up in the waste.

Mini tangent aside, that is how I made the final decision to take a stab at Mango Mochi though evidently not a traditional Thai dessert. I had all the ingredients readily available at home; all I really needed to buy were the mangoes and mango juice. With just a few ingredients and a simple recipe to follow, you’re in for a cracker of a dessert!

Mochi is a Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain japonica glutinous rice that is pounded into a paste and molded into various desired shapes and sizes. In Japan, mochi is traditionally made during a labour-intensive mochi-pounding ceremony known as mochitsuki. The glutinous rice is first soaked overnight and then steamed. The steamed rice is then mashed and pounded using wooden mallets (kine) in a traditional mortar (usu). The process involves two people, one pounding and the other turning and wetting the substance (mochi). The two must keep a steady rhythm or they may accidentally injure each other with the heavy kine. After this process of pounding, the mochi can be eaten immediately or formed into various shapes, usually a sphere or a cube.

Modern mochi making is far less labour-intensive. Plain and natural mochi is prepared from glutinous rice flour that is mixed with water and them steamed, or cooked in the microwave, until it forms a sticky and opaque substance that is malleable. Other than flour and water, other ingredients can be added such as sugar for sweetness and cornstarch to prevent it from sticking to basically anything from your hands to serving containers/dishes. On top of that, other ingredients can also be added for more flavour variants, and here enters my recipe for Mango Mochi!

PREP TIME 20 MINS | COOKING TIME 20 MINS | MAKES 10 BALLS

INGREDIENTS

1 ripe mango, peeled and cubed
1 & 1/4 cup glutinous rice flour
1 can (340ml) mango juice or nectar
3 tbsp white granulated sugar
Cornstarch
Shredded coconut (optional)

Note: Instead of using water, I used mango juice/nectar to flavour the rice cake itself to really heighten the mango flavour in the mochi. I know Gina Mango Nectar can be super sweet, and that is why I decided to lessen the amount of sugar in the mochi dough mixture. But for the initial ratios that I used, I found that the dough did need the extra sugar as it tasted rather flour-y than mango or sweet. I’ve adjusted the sugar quantities already in this recipe.

METHOD

In a heatproof, medium-sized bowl, add the mango juice/nectar and sugar together and mix until well dissolved. Add in the rice flour, half cup at a time and mix until well blended and smooth.
Place the bowl into a prepared steamer and steam for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the steamed dough comes out clean.
While waiting for the dough to cook, prepare the mango for the filling. Set aside in the fridge.
Once the dough is done, remove from the steamer and leave it to cool down for about 10 to 15 minutes.
Generously cover you hands with cornstarch and while the dough is still warm, scoop about a heaped tablespoon and roll the dough into medium sized balls.

Tip: Rolling the balls from the dough is the tough part. It is very sticky and somewhat difficult to work with. The more cornstarch you have on your hands and use, the less it will stick to you and the dough will be easier to work with. Also, the cooler the dough, the harder the dough will be to work with.

Flatten the dough ball and place a mango cube in the middle. Close the ball tightly and place on a large serving plate dusted with cornstarch. Repeat until all of the dough is used, should make approximately 10 balls, less or more depending on the size.
Optional, lightly brush the balls with water and then sprinkle the shredded coconut over the top.
Chill in the fridge before serving and then enjoy!

Mochi is best enjoyed immediately, especially if you opted to coat them with shredded coconut. They can be kept in the fridge for a short period of time, I’d say less than a week. If you’ve made a large batch of them and want to keep them for longer, then freezing them in an individual sealed plastic bag is recommended. Although they can be kept in the freezer for up to a year, it may lose its flavour and softness over time or may get freezer-burned.

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx

Sapin-Sapin

December 12, 2018 amcarmenLeave a comment

Hello Everyone! Only 13 more days to Christmas!

Before I start, I’m going to make this post short a sweet. I’ve had a busy day of designing to meet a 9-hour deadline so I’m pretty much mentally drained at this point – apologies in advance.

Anyway, in my previous post that I shared last week, I talked about how a much-loved part of the Simbang Gabi tradition during the Christmas season amongst Filipinos is the various local delicacies served just outside of the churches. Last week I shared all about Suman, and tonight I will be sharing a favourite with you, Sapin-Sapin.

Sapin-Sapin is a Filipino sticky rice cake that is made from glutinous rice and coconut milk that is traditionally composed of layers with different colours and flavour profiles that compliment each other. Sapin-Sapin can be made of 4, 3 or 2 layers, or even enjoyed just on its own single slab. The most common flavours are coconut, ube, and jackfruit. It is then topped with a toasted residue of coconut milk known as latik.

PREP TIME 15 MINS | COOKING TIME 45 MINS | SERVES 10

INGREDIENTS

For the sapin-sapin

4 cups coconut milk (fresh, canned, or frozen)
2 cups glutinous rice flour
1 cup granulated white sugar
3/4 cup ube (purple yam), cooked and mashed
1/2 cup ripe jackfruit
1/4 cup latik*
30ml condensed milk
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ube extract
Violet food colouring
Yellow food colouring

*For the latik

1 cup coconut milk

METHOD

Latik: Pour the coconut milk into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continuously stir until most of the liquid evaporates. This will take about 12 to 15 minutes per cup of coconut milk.
When the texture of the milk turns gelatinous, lower the heat and continue to stir. By this time the oils should start separating from the milk. Keep stirring until brownish residues are formed.
Turn the heat off and place the latik on a small plate lined with a paper towl to soak up the excess oil. Set aside. At this point you can store the latik in a container and in the fridge for up to a week or use it immediately to top various rice cakes.
Sapin-Sapin: Combine the glutinous rice flour and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Then, pour in the condensed milk, coconut milk, and vanilla extract, mixing well until the texture of the mixture is smooth.
Divide the mixture into 3 equal parts into smaller mixing bowls.
Add the mashed purple yam, ube extract, and violet food colouring into one of the mixtures. Stir thoroughly and then set aside.
Shred the jackfruit (without the seeds) in a food processor. Add the shredded jackfruit into another mixture along with the yellow food colouring. Set aside.
Leave the last mixture as it is.
Grease a 9in round baking pan by brushing a bit of coconut oil and pour in the plain coconut mixture into the pan. Make sure that the mixture settles. Cover the baking pan with cheesecloth and then steam for about 12 to 16 minutes.
Once done, remove the baking pan and then pour over the ube mixture. Use a spatula to spread it evenly on top of the coconut mixture. Remove excess water from the cheesecloth by squeezing it. Place it back on top of the baking pan, and into the steamer to steam for another 12 to 16 minutes.
Repeat step 10 again for the jackfruit mixture and then steam for a further 15 to 20 minutes. If you think your mixture is still a tad bit runny, steam for a further 5 minutes. Remove of the steamer and set aside.
Serve: Place a clean banana leaf over a wide serving plate and brush a bit of coconut oil over the leaf.
Gently run the side of the baking pan using a spatula brushed with coconut oil. Turn the baking pan over onto the banana leaf and let the cooked sapin-sapin fall out of the pan on its own. Therefore make sure that the colour that you want on top is the bottom layer in the pan when being cooked.
Brush some coconut oil on top of the sapin-sapin and sprinkle generously with latik.
Serve for breakfast, merienda, or dessert with a hot cup of coffee. Share and enjoy!

Unfortunately, most commercial sapin-sapin delights that you find in large supermarket chains omit the use of natural flavours such as the ube and jackfruit to reduce costs. In fact, if you see, red is also often used in the making of sapin-sapin. When I was researching the flavours, I found out that the red layer actually has no flavouring to it, just the plain coconut from the initial mixture.

Before I end tonight’s post, what are some of your favourite traditional Christmas treats? I’d love to hear about the different food traditions from around the world! Comment down below!

BON APPÉTIT

– Ally xx